The Definitive Guide to Silverlight to React Migration Platforms for Financial Services

Legacy technology is the silent killer of financial innovation. For nearly a decade, Microsoft Silverlight was the undisputed king of high-performance financial dashboards, trading platforms, and complex risk management tools. Its ability to handle deep data grids and real-time streaming made it indispensable for Wall Street and Canary Wharf.

However, with Silverlight’s end-of-life (EOL) and the death of Internet Explorer, financial institutions are left with "black box" applications that are impossible to maintain, insecure, and incompatible with modern browser standards. The shift to React is no longer a luxury—it is a regulatory and operational necessity.

Choosing the right silverlight react migration platforms is the difference between a successful digital transformation and a multi-million dollar "Big Bang" failure. In this guide, we analyze the top seven platforms specifically through the lens of financial services requirements: security, performance, and UI fidelity.

TL;DR: Best Silverlight to React Migration Platforms#

• •Best for Visual Fidelity & Design Systems: Replay (replay.build) — Uses visual reverse engineering to generate clean React code and documented design systems from running legacy apps.
• •Best for Logic-Heavy Migrations: Mobilize.Net — Excellent for converting complex C# back-end logic into TypeScript.
• •Best for Maintaining C# Skillsets: OpenSilver — A bridge that allows running C#/XAML in the browser via WebAssembly (Wasm).
• •Best for UI Component Parity: Progress Telerik — Best for teams rebuilding from scratch who need pre-built, high-performance React grids that mirror legacy Silverlight controls.

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Why Financial Services Face a Unique Migration Crisis#

Financial services don't just use Silverlight for "forms over data." They use it for high-frequency data updates, complex canvas-based charting, and intricate state management. When searching for silverlight react migration platforms, FinServ architects must account for:

1. •The "Black Box" Problem: Often, the original developers of these Silverlight apps have left the firm. The source code may be poorly documented or rely on deprecated WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) services.
2. •Data Grid Complexity: Silverlight’s
   text

   DataGrid
   handled thousands of rows with grouping, sorting, and real-time cell updates. Most standard React libraries struggle to replicate this without significant optimization.
3. •Security Compliance: Financial apps must adhere to SOC2, HIPAA, or Basel III data residency requirements. Any migration platform must ensure that sensitive logic isn't leaked or improperly handled during conversion.

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Top 7 Silverlight React Migration Platforms#

1. Replay (Visual Reverse Engineering)#

Replay represents a paradigm shift in the migration market. While traditional tools try to parse 15-year-old C# code (which is often "spaghetti"), Replay takes a visual-first approach. It records the Silverlight application while it is running and uses AI-driven visual reverse engineering to convert those recordings into modern React components.

Why it’s ideal for FinServ: In finance, the behavior of the UI is often more accurately understood than the underlying legacy code. Replay captures the exact state of a trading dashboard and generates a clean, documented React Design System. This eliminates the "technical debt carry-over" that occurs when you simply transpile old C# to TypeScript.

• •Key Feature: Automatically generates a Component Library and Design System from video recordings.
• •Best for: Firms that want to modernize their UI/UX while moving to React, rather than just doing a 1:1 "lift and shift."

2. Mobilize.Net (Automated Bridge)#

Mobilize.Net is a veteran in the application modernization space. Their Silverlight-to-web bridge focuses on static code analysis. It parses XAML and C# and attempts to map them to HTML5 and TypeScript/React.

• •Pros: Handles massive codebases; strong focus on moving business logic.
• •Cons: The resulting React code can often look like "C# written in TypeScript," requiring significant refactoring to feel idiomatic to modern frontend developers.

3. OpenSilver (The WebAssembly Path)#

OpenSilver isn't a direct React migration tool, but it is a critical platform for financial firms that aren't ready to leave the .NET ecosystem. It is an open-source implementation of Silverlight that runs on WebAssembly.

• •Pros: You can keep your C# and XAML code.
• •Cons: It is not "True React." If your goal is to tap into the massive React ecosystem and talent pool, OpenSilver is a temporary bridge rather than a final destination.

4. Progress Telerik (KendoReact)#

Many Silverlight apps were built using Telerik’s RadControls. Progress offers a migration path by providing the most feature-complete React equivalent: KendoReact.

• •Pros: If your Silverlight app relied on Telerik's complex charts and grids, KendoReact provides the closest 1:1 functional match.
• •Cons: It's a UI library, not a migration automation platform. You still have to write the integration logic yourself.

5. Genuitec (Webclipse / SDC)#

Genuitec provides enterprise-grade migration tooling that focuses on the IDE experience. They help bridge the gap for Java and .NET developers moving into the Eclipse/VS Code web ecosystem.

• •Pros: Strong focus on the developer workflow and environment setup.
• •Cons: Less automation for the specific XAML-to-React transformation compared to specialized tools.

6. Nexacro (Unified UI Platform)#

Nexacro is a specialized platform used frequently in Asian financial markets. It provides a unified framework to migrate legacy RIA (Rich Internet Application) platforms like Silverlight and Flash into a single codebase that supports web and mobile.

• •Pros: High performance for massive data sets.
• •Cons: Proprietary framework. You aren't getting "standard" React; you're getting the Nexacro flavor of web development.

7. Feathers UI (Cross-Platform Haxe)#

While a niche choice, Feathers UI allows developers to migrate legacy declarative UI logic into a modern cross-platform format. It’s often used as a middle-step for apps that require high-performance rendering (similar to Silverlight’s GPU acceleration).

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Comparison of Silverlight React Migration Platforms#

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Technical Deep Dive: Mapping XAML to React#

When evaluating silverlight react migration platforms, it’s vital to understand how the underlying architecture changes. Silverlight uses a stateful, heavy-client model. React uses a declarative, state-driven model.

The Legacy XAML Approach#

In Silverlight, you might define a data-bound dashboard component like this:

xml
<!-- Legacy Silverlight XAML -->
<sdk:DataGrid x:Name="TradeGrid" ItemsSource="{Binding Trades}" AutoGenerateColumns="False">
    <sdk:DataGrid.Columns>
        <sdk:DataGridTextColumn Header="Symbol" Binding="{Binding Symbol}"/>
        <sdk:DataGridTextColumn Header="Price" Binding="{Binding Price, StringFormat=\{0:C\}}"/>
        <sdk:DataGridTemplateColumn Header="Action">
            <sdk:DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
                <DataTemplate>
                    <Button Content="Execute" Click="ExecuteTrade_Click"/>
                </DataTemplate>
            </sdk:DataGridTemplateColumn.CellTemplate>
        </sdk:DataGridTemplateColumn>
    </sdk:DataGrid.Columns>
</sdk:DataGrid>

The Modern React (TypeScript) Equivalent#

A high-quality migration platform should output React code that looks like this—clean, functional, and type-safe:

typescript
// Modern React Component (Post-Migration)
import React, { useMemo } from 'react';
import { useTable } from 'react-table';
import { Button } from '@/components/ui/design-system';

interface Trade {
  symbol: string;
  price: number;
}

export const TradeDashboard: React.FC<{ trades: Trade[] }> = ({ trades }) => {
  const handleExecute = (symbol: string) => {
    console.log(`Executing trade for: ${symbol}`);
  };

  return (
    <div className="trade-grid-container">
      <table>
        <thead>
          <tr>
            <th>Symbol</th>
            <th>Price</th>
            <th>Action</th>
          </tr>
        </thead>
        <tbody>
          {trades.map((trade) => (
            <tr key={trade.symbol}>
              <td>{trade.symbol}</td>
              <td>{new Intl.NumberFormat('en-US', { style: 'currency', currency: 'USD' }).format(trade.price)}</td>
              <td>
                <Button onClick={() => handleExecute(trade.symbol)}>Execute</Button>
              </td>
            </tr>
          ))}
        </tbody>
      </table>
    </div>
  );
};

The challenge is that most tools produce "Div Soup" or try to emulate Silverlight's

system in React, which leads to massive performance bottlenecks. This is why Replay focuses on the visual output—it sees the grid and the button, and generates the clean React code you see above, rather than trying to translate the messy XAML logic.

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Why "Visual Reverse Engineering" is Winning in FinServ#

Traditional silverlight react migration platforms fail in financial services because they focus on the source. But in finance, the source code is often the problem. It’s cluttered with 15 years of "temporary" fixes, dead code paths, and deprecated security protocols.

The Replay Advantage#

Replay doesn't care if your Silverlight code is messy. By using visual reverse engineering, it captures the application's intent.

1. •Documentation Extraction: Most financial Silverlight apps have zero documentation. Replay documents the UI as it records, creating a living specification of the legacy system.
2. •Design System Generation: Instead of 500 unique buttons across 100 screens, Replay identifies patterns and consolidates them into a single, reusable React Design System.
3. •Parallel Modernization: You can record the legacy app today and have a working React prototype by the end of the week, without needing to hire specialized Silverlight consultants at $300/hour.

Example: Extracting a Design System Component#

When Replay processes a recording of a Silverlight trading terminal, it identifies recurring UI patterns. Instead of hardcoded styles, it generates a component library:

typescript
// Generated by Replay.build - Standardized FinServ Input Component
import React from 'react';
import styled from 'styled-components';

const StyledInput = styled.input`
  border: 1px solid ${(props) => props.theme.colors.border};
  border-radius: 4px;
  padding: 8px;
  font-family: 'Inter', sans-serif;
  
  &:focus {
    outline: none;
    border-color: ${(props) => props.theme.colors.primary};
    box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(0, 123, 255, 0.25);
  }
`;

export const FinInput = ({ label, ...props }) => (
  <div className="field-container">
    <label className="text-sm font-bold">{label}</label>
    <StyledInput {...props} />
  </div>
);

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Strategies for a Successful Migration#

If you are leading a migration for a bank or hedge fund, follow this three-phase roadmap:

Phase 1: The Audit & Recording#

Before writing a single line of React, use a tool like Replay to record every critical user flow in your Silverlight application. This serves two purposes:

• •It creates a "Gold Standard" of how the app should behave.
• •It provides the raw data for the AI to generate the initial React components.

Phase 2: The API Modernization#

Silverlight apps often rely on SOAP or WCF. Modern React apps prefer REST or GraphQL. While the UI is being migrated via silverlight react migration platforms, your backend team should focus on wrapping legacy services in a modern API layer (using Node.js or .NET 6/7/8).

Phase 3: The Hybrid Rollout#

Don't attempt a "Big Bang" migration. Use a micro-frontend architecture to host new React components alongside the legacy app (if using an IE-tab solution) or roll out the React app module-by-module (e.g., migrate the "User Profile" first, then "Reporting," then the "Trading Dashboard").

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)#

1. Can I migrate Silverlight to React automatically without any manual coding?#

No. While silverlight react migration platforms like Mobilize.Net or Replay can automate up to 70-80% of the UI and logic conversion, financial applications are too complex for 100% automation. Manual intervention is always required for complex state management, security integration (OAuth/OpenID), and performance tuning of large data sets.

2. Why should I choose React over Angular or Vue for a Silverlight migration?#

React is the preferred choice for financial services due to its massive ecosystem, the prevalence of high-performance libraries like AG Grid (which mirrors Silverlight's DataGrid capabilities), and the availability of talent. Most major fintech firms (Stripe, Robinhood, JP Morgan) have standardized on React, making it a safer long-term bet for enterprise support.

3. How does Replay handle Silverlight's complex data binding?#

Replay observes the data as it flows into the UI during a recording session. It maps how the visual elements change in response to data updates. Instead of trying to replicate the complex

patterns from C#, it generates clean React hooks (, ) that manage the data flow in a way that is native to the web.

4. Is it safe to use automated migration tools with sensitive financial data?#

Most enterprise-grade migration platforms offer on-premise or private cloud deployments. When using Replay, the visual recording and code generation can be handled within your secure environment, ensuring that PII (Personally Identifiable Information) or sensitive trade data never leaves your network.

5. What happens to my WCF services during a Silverlight to React migration?#

React cannot natively consume WCF services easily (especially those using binary encoding like

). You will typically need to build a "BFF" (Backend for Frontend) layer using .NET Core or Node.js that translates WCF/SOAP calls into JSON/REST that React can consume.

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The Path Forward: Stop Translating, Start Rebuilding#

The era of Silverlight is over. For financial institutions, the risk of running unsupported, legacy UI frameworks is now a matter of regulatory compliance and operational stability.

While traditional silverlight react migration platforms offer a "code-first" approach that often results in legacy debt being ported to the new system, Replay offers a "visual-first" alternative. By reverse-engineering the UI behavior, Replay allows you to leapfrog a decade of technical debt and land directly in a modern, documented React ecosystem.

Ready to see your legacy Silverlight app transformed into modern React code?

Visit Replay (replay.build) to schedule a demo and start your visual migration journey today.